Attention Women Authors! Get Your Articles Noticed by Magazine Editors

By Chris Robertson

Women writers will find there are many opportunities for magazine writers. There are magazines on most any topic you can think of: sports, hobbies, business, collectibles, cars, boats, decorating, cooking, child rearing, and children's interests. This creates an open market for women writers.

Perhaps you would like to become one of the women who write for magazines. Here are some magazine submission tips that will help you get started.

Find the Right Magazine

The first step is to find a publication that covers the topics you want to write about. You can find a list of publications in a directory for writers at a bookstore. Libraries usually offer a reference list in a "List of Periodicals." Also, look for a sizable selection of magazines at a large bookstore.

The next thing to do is read the publications you are interested in writing for and identify their editorial perspective. This will give you an idea of how to adapt your article to their interests. You normally wouldn't send an article on cooking to a sailing magazine. But possibly you could change the focus of your article to cooking on a sailboat. This would give you a much better chance of seeing your article published. Generally, you will have more results writing for a magazine that covers the same types of subjects as your article.

Send a Cover Letter

When you are ready to submit articles to a publication, send a cover letter to the editor outlining your idea. Make it clear and simple with an outline of your subjects. Give the approximate length of your article and promise to deliver on their deadline. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and wait to hear from them. Make a pitch to several magazines and customize it for each one you contact.

You might receive many rejections before you are accepted. This is where you need to persevere and not give up on being a woman author! Once your article has been published in a magazine, it will be worth the wait. Some magazines don't pay for articles, but at least you will be published and able to add to your credentials.

Writing Professionally as a Woman Author

Always submit your best writing. Women writers who want to be published must be smart and professional. Don't waste an editor's time on hastily written copy or missed deadlines. It is suggested that when submitting an article to magazines, you should meet your word count within only 15 words above or below the number requested.

Send a handwritten thank-you note to the editor after you've been published. Wait a few weeks and send another pitch to sell your next idea. Try to build a professional relationship where your name and quality work will be recognized. Be a dependable, professional woman writer that the editor will look forward to hearing from.

Get started with your research, and write letters to editors on a regular basis. You will see results once you are committed to writing. There is a huge market waiting for magazine writers, especially women magazine writers. Get started today in this fulfilling profession as a woman magazine author!

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.

Learn more about Women Magazine Writers or Majon's Books and Magazines directory.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson

10 Smart Moves For Getting Published In Top Magazines

By Marcia Yudkin

Eager to see your byline in magazines like Smithsonian, National Geographic, Parade or Outside? Here are 10 tips on getting past the threshold of "Maybe" to "Yes" at top magazines.

1. Put timing on your side. You can change a perennial story, where there's no special reason to do it now rather than next year, to one that prompts an immediate assignment by adding a connection to some upcoming season or event. For instance, "the disposable versus cloth diaper debate" lacks any time element. But you can peg it to Earth Day, coming up in April, or specific future environmental powwows. You can get the same effect by tying a perennial topic to recent front-page news. If devastating floods are lingering in North Carolina, use that to make a piece on adequately insuring a business sound timely.

2. Freshen up perennial topics. Some magazines revisit the same topics again and again because relationships, or toilet training, or camping in national parks lie at the core of the magazine's mission. Hunt back about four or five years in the magazine's archives for these central topics and update them.

3. Create cover-worthy article titles. Editors sweat over the blurbs that go on the magazine cover. If you study the kinds of blurbs they favor, and give a similar title to your proposed article, you may score an assignment from a title that is exactly on target.

4. Be brief and detailed. This combination of skills has great value in the magazine world, and a query offers a perfect setting to demonstrate your mastery of rich compression. Let every sentence sparkle with detail, but say just enough to get the idea across.

5. Stay ahead of the pack. I once heard someone say that if you've read about an issue in Time or Newsweek, you're too late to query other top magazines on it. Spend energy pursuing stories that seem both trendy and unexplored.

6. Get your details right. Nothing kills confidence faster than factual errors! Recheck all information in your query before sending it.

7. Be truthful. Don't exaggerate the facts of a story, don't present fiction as real and don't inflate your credentials. This should go without saying, but not long ago a freelance writer sold an article in which she had presented a story she heard from a fellow airline passenger as something that had happened to her. She claimed she didn't realize that that was unethical.

8. Don't have a hidden agenda. Forget about any kind of revenge story, or about hyping a company in which you have some sort of covert financial interest.
9. Show enthusiasm. Make sure your writing feels alive and flavorful, not parched and pinched. I've heard a number of editors say they like to work with writers who show enthusiasm for their work.

10. Flatter an editor. A good number of editors write on the side for other publications, and if you happen to spot his or her freelance work and mention it in your query, you win points. Mentioning that you liked a particular issue of the magazine, or a certain cover story, helps build rapport, too. Make sure that any praise is specific and sincerely enthusiastic.

About The Author: Veteran magazine writing coach Marcia Yudkin is the author of Freelance Writing for Magazines & Newspapers, articles in Ms., Psychology Today, NY Times Magazine, Business 2.0, more. Learn about her advanced home-study course on writing for big-name magazines: http://www.yudkin.com/majormagazines.htm